Deterrent compositions

ABSTRACT

An animal deterrent composition comprising a major proportion of a finely divided animal deterrent compound of aluminum together with a minor proportion of one or more of certain specified organic animal deterrent compounds. The invention also consists in a method of deterring animals using the composition of the invention.

United States Patent Stone May 16, 1972 54] DETERRENT COMPOSITIONS 106/204; 260/29.6 [72] Inventor: Rufus John Stone, 19 Brunsall Street, Lonslw England [56] References Cited [22] Filed: Oct. 8, 1969 UNITED STATES PATENTS 21 N .2 Seeley 1 App 0 2,174,541 11 1939 Walthausen ....260/234 Related US, Application Data 1,270,630 6/1918 Lerst ..424/l 54 [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 759,216, Sept. 1 1, Primary Examiner -rheodore Morris 1968 abandoned Attorney-Holman & Stern [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT OCt. 15, 1968 Great Britain ..48,720/68 An animal deterrent composition comprising a major propor tion of a finely divided animal deterrent compound of alu [52] US. Cl ..l06/204, 106/146, 106/148, minum together with a minor proportion f one or more of 106/205 106/208 106/213 106/214 260/29-6 Bi certain specified organic animal deterrent compounds. The in- 26O/29-6 260/295 N, 260/296 MM, 424/154 vention also consists in a method of deterring animals using 424/195 the composition of the invention. [51] Int. Cl. ..C08b 25/00 [58] Field of Search ..424/300, 195; 106/205, 209, 14 Claims, No Drawings DETERRENT COMPOSITIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Ser. No. 759,216 filed Sept. ll, 1968, now abandoned.

This invention is concerned with improvements in or relating to compositions to inhibit animals from chewing, biting, eating, pecking, sucking, boring into, or otherwise attacking with the mouth objects to which the compositions have previously been applied. Such compositions will, hereinafter, be referred to as animal deterrent compositions.

It is known that certain compounds have the effect of inhibiting animals from chewing, biting, pecking, sucking, eating or boring into objects to which the compounds have been applied. Examples of such compounds include aluminum compounds such as as potassium aluminum sulphate, also known alum, aluminum sulfate and, particularly, aluminum ammonium sulfate and organic compounds such as sucrose octaacetate, benzyldiethyl (2,6 xylylcarbamoyl methyl) ammonium benzoate, 9,10-dioxoanthracene, dimethylphthalate, N,N- diethyl-m-toluamide, butopyrenoxyl, meliantriol, crude extracts of parts of the plants melia azedarach L. and melia azadirachta L. and margosa oil. It is believed that the animal deterrent effect of these compounds may be due to their unpleasant taste, and possibly in some measure to their unpleasant smell.

ln the past the use of these compounds has been limited because of their unreliability when used on certain classes of animals or under certain environmental conditions. Thus, it may well happen that when the same compound is used as an animal deterrent for the same group of animals on two successive occasions the compound may be effective on the first occasion but not on the second or vice versa. In other words, the effects of the compounds are not always reproducible on every class of animal under all conditions. It may be effective only to comparatively few species of animals, or it may not be effective to animals of the same class but from different environments.

I have now found that compositions containing an animal deterrent compound of aluminum, such as aluminum ammonium sulfate, together with one or more of the following Sucrose octa-acetate, benzyldiethyl (2,6'xylylcarbamoyl methyl) ammonium benzoate, 9,10-dioxoanthracene, dimethylphthalate, N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide, butopyronoxyl, meliantriol, crude extracts of parts of the plants of melia azedarach L., and melia azadirachta L., and margosa oil, are particularly effective over a wider field of use both as regards class of animal and their environment. Thus, such compositions have a much more reliable and wider range of effect in that they give reproducible results over a greater number of classes of animals and in a wider variety of environment and, further, the compositions have a very much greater degree of activity than would be expected if the compositions were acting as mere mixtures,i.e. there appears to be synergism between two or more of the active components of the composition.

According to the invention, therefore, there is provided an animal deterrent composition containing as animal deterrent component an animal deterrent compound of aluminum (suitably one containing aluminum and sulfate ions, and preferably aluminum ammonium sulfate) together with at least one other animal deterrent compound selected from sucrose octa-acetate, benzyldiethyl (2,6 xylylcarbamoyl methyl) ammonium benzoate (which is preferred); 9 l-dioxoanthracene; methylphthalate; N.N.diethyl-m-toluamide; butopyrenoxyl; meliantriol; crude extracts of parts (especially crushed and ground fruit) of the plants melia azedarach L. and melia azadirachta L., and margosa oil.

in accordance with a preferred feature of the invention the composition contains sucrose octa-acetate together with another animal deterrent compound.

The animal deterrent compound of aluminum is preferably in finely divided form, although it may be found effective in certain classes of animals and environment and in certain of the formulations of larger particle sizes, nevertheless, suitably all of the aluminum compound has a particle size less than 75 microns, advantageously less than 10 microns. Desirably the other ingredients will also be in finely divided form, for exam ple having a particle size range similar to that of the aluminum compound. The ratio of aluminum compound to the other ingredients may vary within wide limits. Preferably, however, the aluminum compound is present in greater amount by weight than the total of the other ingredients; for example, each of the other constituents may form from 0.005 25 per cent (suitably up to 25 per cent by weight depending upon the nature of the use of the composition, but under normal circumstances the total weight of the active constituents or constituent other than the aluminum compound will preferably not be greater than 30 per cent and advantageously not more than 10 per cent, but they may for certain compositions, be greater than that amount.

The compositions according to the invention may, of course, contain diluents and/or carriers and the nature of these will depend upon the exact nature of the desired final composition. In this connection, it should be noted that where the active components of the compositions according to the invention are non-toxic, non-phytotoxic, odorless and nonstaining, then in order to provide a composition having similar properties it will be necessary to employ such diluents and/or carriers such as are themselves non-toxic, non-phytotoxic, odorless and non-staining. If however, some degree of toxicity, phytotoxicity, odor or staining may be tolerated, toxic, phytotoxic or odoriferous or staining carriers and/or diluents may be employed. In general, however, it is preferred that the carriers and/or diluents employed in compositions of this invention should be non-toxic, non-phytotoxic, odorless and non-staining so that they may have as wide an application as possible.

In particular, three forms of formulation are contemplated in the present invention, namely a powder formulation and a paste formulation for solution or suspension in water or for direct application and a so-called aerosol" or pressurized formulation.

In the powder and paste formulations the proportion of the sucrose octa-acetate (if present) should be kept as low as possible, for example, less than 25 percent by weight of the composition, in order to avoid any danger of the composition gelling on the addition of water. The composition may contain, for example, building or bulking agents such as corn starch, carob flour, dextrin, lactose guar gum, carragheenin, alginates and the like. The powder formulation may also suitably contain a wetting agent to facilitate the dispersion and/or solution of the composition in water. The wetting agent may be, for example, anionic or non-ionic in character. Examples of suitable wetting agents include soaps such as alkali metal salts of fatty acids, for example, salts of fatty sulfates such as sodium lauryl sulfate, salts of long-chain alkyl benzene sulfonates and partial fatty acid esters of sorbitan and sorbitol.

The powder compositions may also contain agents to improve the flow of the powder such as finely divided silicon dioxide, for example those sold under the trade names Silica Gel, Neosyl" or Acrocil."

The paste formulations contain a coating composition or binding agent such as a paint lacquer, varnish, an emulsion or a solution of a synthetic organic polymer or other suitable ingredients which will adhere to the article, plant or animal to which the composition is to be applied, and to remain adherent to the article for a more or less extended period of time. The compositions according to the invention may take many forms. Thus, they may take the form of conventional oilbound paints or water-bound paints or distempers, so-called emulsion paints, synthetic polymeric paints such as polyurethane paints, emulsions of film-forming polymers, and particularly, plasticized emulsions of polyvinyl chloride.

The pressurized formulations of the compositions according to the invention will generally comprise the active ingredients suspended in conventional liquified gaseous propellants such as trichlorofluoromethane and dichlorodifluoromethane. The compositions will generally also contain one or more of the wetting agents acting as suspending agents to maintain the active ingredients in suspension, such as the wetting agents referred to above. It may, however, be desirable to include in the container for the pressurized compositions agitating means so that the container may be shaken to ensure complete dispersion of the active ingredients within the composition. The pressurized compositions may also contain builders and the like as described above with reference to the powder formulation.

The compositions according to the invention find a wide range of application in horticulture, agriculture, viticulture, the growing of fruit, tea and cereals of all kinds, and forestry as well as in domestic use. Thus, the compositions according to the invention may be used in horticulture and agriculture to protect growing plants against the depredations of animals, for example, they may be used to protect fruit and the like against attack from birds and insects.

The compositions according to the invention may also be used to protect plants, human beings and animals from the blood-sucking action of leeches and from attacks by many kinds of insects.

In the field of animal husbandry the compositions are of great use in preventing animals from damaging themselves or other animals. For example, they may be used to prevent tailbiting in pigs, naval sucking amongst calves, feather-pecking and cannibalism in poultry, fur-chewing among fur-bearing animals such as rabbits and chinchillas, and to deter horses from chewing or biting any woodwork surrounding them.

In forestry the compositions may be applied to trees to prevent tie-barking and defoliation by rabbits and other animals and pests. In the home the compositions also serve to protect articles from wild animals or domestic pets. Thus the compositions may be used to inhibit the attacks of rats upon refuse bags.

The composition of the invention may be applied at varying dosage rates but in the case of dry powder compositions they are conveniently applied at a rate of from to 30 pounds of active ingredient, preferably about pounds of active ingredient, per acre. 1f the powders are dissolved in water they may suitably be applied at rates of from 10 to 30 pounds per acre, suitably 16 to gallons per acre of a 1:10 solution. Where the compositions are in the form of emulsions with adhesive agents they may be used at a slightly higher rate; e.g. up to 50 lbs. per acre.

In order that the invention may be well understood examples of compositions according to the invention will now be given by way of illustration only. In the Examples all percentages are by weight unless otherwise stated and all active ingredients are in the form of fine powders having particle sizes ofless than 10 microns.

The various powder compositions may comprise the followmethyl) ammonium benzoate Dimethylphthalate 0.5% N,N-dimethyl-m-toluamide 0.5% Butopyronoxyl 0.5% Margosa oil 0.5% Sodium lauryl sulfate 05% Silica Gel 0.5% Lactic casein 2.5%

This composition may be used to deter chewing, biting, pecking and sucking by all kinds of animals, including mammals, birds, leeches, locusts and other insects.

EXAMPLE 2.

Aluminum ammonium sulfate 92.5% Benzyldiethyl (2,6-xylylcarbamoyl 0.5% methyl) ammonium benzoate Sodium lauryl sulfate 0.5% Silica Gel 0.5% Lactic casein 5.0%

This composition may be used to deter many classes of mammals and birds from chewing, biting and pecking anything to which it has been applied.

This composition may be used to deter locusts and insects with similar tastes from chewing anything to which it has been applied, in addition to the deterrent effects contained in Example 2 above.

EXAMPLE 4.

Aluminum ammonium sulfate 93.0% Sucrose octa-acetate 2 0% 9,10-dioxoanthracene 2 .07: Benzyldicthyl (2,6-xyiylcarbamoyl O .5 9: methyl)ammonium benzoate Dimethylphthalate 0 5 Dimethyltoluamide 0 5% Sodium lauryl sulfate 05% Silica Gel 0.5% Lactic casein 0.5%

This composition may be used to repel many classes of insects all over the world, as well as many classes of mammals and birds.

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FOR CONTROL OF TAIL BITING In each of the following cases the incidence of tail-biting and sometimes ear-biting had commenced and was steadily increasing. In each case, the repellent was applied from aerosols from a distance of about two feet and the pigs so treated were marked with a paint of one colour. 'Ihoso bitten but untreated and left as control were marked with paint of another colour. Pigs not bitten were left unmarked.

Result Number Age, per Number Number Class of pig weeks pen bitten treated Landrace cross large white 12-14 10 8 4 fatteners.

Saddlebaeks crosses with 13 14 13 14 large white Landrace fattening. Large whites 16 10 6 3 Saddlebacks, various crosses 14-16 12 7 4 Mixed crosses 12-15 10 10 Large white cross Landrace," 8-10 12 Nil Chewing of treated pigs stopped on the day of treatment and did not recur. Chewing of two of the untreated pigs stopped on the second day, and chewing of the remaining two stopped on the third day. During the 16th and 17th weeks chewing rc-commenccd on two pigs which were immediately sprayed with repellent. No further chewing.

This was a very serious outbreak of both tail and ear-biting and all pigs were suffering badly and doing very poorly. All pigs sprayed throughly over tails and ears. All biting stopped immediately and did not recur.

Bitten pigs doing very badly. Biting was frequent but on treated pigs it stopped immediately without recurring Biting continuted on three untreated pigs and commenced on one other at the third day after treatment. All pigs treated on seventh day, when all biting stopped.

All biting stopped following treatment. 'lwo treated pigs were bitten again at 18th week but this stopped immediately on further spraying.

8 were badly bitten continuously, 2 bitten intermittently which were treated with 3 badly bitten pigs. Biting stopped on the bitten pigs immediately after treatment and did not recur. All untreated pigs sprayed after 2 weeks and all biting stopped.

All Following heavy fighting when pigs from various litters were mixed and brought to the same pen, and as lighting was starting between these pigs all were sprayed immediately they were put into the pen, tails, flanks, and ears. No further fighting. No tail or ear-biting.

Of a further 12 mixed litters all of which were sprayed immediately upon mixing as they were being penned, fighting occurred only once and tail-biting twice, which was immediately stopped by spraying with the repellent composition.

Note.

In all cases where the composition had been applied to bitten parts, the wounds dried quickly.

EXAMPLE 9.

TABLE III.TESTS AGAINST RATS [1,000 gram lots of barley grain in bags placed amongst selected rat colonies around a field pond and covered with metal sheets] Maximum infestation, percent damage and grain eaten after Moderate-heavy infestation, percent damage and grain eaten after 1 3 4 6 8 1 3 4 (i 8 day days days days days day days days days days Untreated control grain and bag l .J 75 95 Grain untreated, bag sprayed aerosol l O 0 0 40 0 0 5 5 Grain untreated, bag powdered 0 30 5 0 80 Grain powdered, bag sprayed with powder solution 4 0 0 so 97 0 25 Grain powdered, bag untreated 7 O 0 10 66 90 0 25 75 50% ripped. 100% taken away. Nil damage as sacks had been placed on glavanized sheets. 10 7 chewed. One hole. Placed on ground after 3 days. 3 holes.

EXAMPLE 7. Aluminum ammonium sulfate 85.5%

(Particle size less than 75 microns) Sucrose octa-acetate 1% I 5 5 (Particle size less than 75 microns) An animal deterrent powder composition comprises: Sodium lauryl sulfate 0.5%

Corn starch l 1% Aluminum ammonium sulfate 86.5% Gum 16% P l 1 th 75 Silica Gel 0.59% g an mcmns) 5% The polyvinyl chloride emulsion comprises:

WY me Polyvinyl Chloride parts Corn starch l 1% Vinyl Chloride 0.5 g -2: Dibutyl Phthalate 2o e Diallyl Ricinoleate 0.02 Polyvinyl Alcohol 2 Deionized Water 45 EXAMPLE 8. I claim:

1. An animal deterrent composition consisting essentially of a major proportion of an animal deterrent aluminum com- An animal deterrent owder om o ition om ri e pound selected from the group consisting of aluminum sulfate, potassium aluminum sulfate and aluminum ammonia sulfate, Aluminum ammonium sulfate 35.5% together with a minor proportion of at least one other detersucfose Ode-Meme 1% rent compound selected from the group consisting of sucrose Sodium lauryl sulfate 0.5% Com Starch 11% cola-acetate, benzyldiethyl-(2,6-xylylcarbamoyl methyl) am- Gum 15% monium benzoate; 9,10-dioxoanthracene; dimethylphthalate; Silica Ge] 05% N-N-diethyl-m-toluamide; butopyrenoxyl; meliantriol; and

margosa oil.

2. A composition as claimed in claim 1 in which the animal deterrent compound of aluminum is aluminum ammonium sulfate.

3. An animal deterrent composition containing as animal deterrent component a major proportion of an animal deterrent aluminum compound selected from the group consisting of aluminum sulfate, potassium aluminum sulfate, and aluminum ammonium sulfate, together with a minor proportion of, as an animal deterrent compound, benzyldiethyl-(2,6-xylylcarbamoyl-rnethyl) ammonium benzoate.

4. A composition according to claim 1 which contains sucrose octa-acetate as an animal deterrent compound.

5. A composition according to claim 1 in which the aluminum compound is finely divided form having a particle size of less than 75 microns.

6. A composition according to claim 5 in which the aluminum compound has a particle size of less than 50 microns.

7. A composition according to claim 1 in which the aluminum compound forms at least 70 percent by weight of the animal deterrent component.

8. A composition according to claim 7 in which the aluminum compound forms at least 90 percent by weight of the animal deterrent component.

9. A composition according to claim 7 in which the other animal deterrent compound or compounds are each present in an amount of up to 2.5 percent by weight based on the weight of the animal deterrent component.

10. A composition according to claim 1 in the form of a powder and containing one or more inert carriers and/or diluents.

11. A composition according to claim 10 containing a wetting agent.

12. A composition according to claim 1 in the form of a paste containing a binding agent, said binding agent being selected from the group consisting of paint lacquer, varnish, and emulsions or solutions of a synthetic organic polymer, said polymer being selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, and polyvinyl alcohol.

13. A composition according to claim 1 in the form of a pressurized composition comprising the active ingredients suspended in one or more liquified gaseous propellants.

14. A method of inhibiting animal attacks at a locus which comprises applying to the locus an animal deterrent amount of a composition defined in claim 1.

lOl036 0575 

2. A composition as claimed in claim 1 in which the animal deterrent compound of aluminum is aluminum ammonium sulfate.
 3. An animal deterrent composition containing as animal deterrent component a major proportion of an animal deterrent aluminum compound selected from the group consisting of aluminum sulfate, potassium aluminum sulfate, and aluminum ammonium sulfate, together with a minor proportion of, as an animal deterrent compound, benzyldiethyl-(2,6-xylylcarbamoyl-methyl) ammonium benzoate.
 4. A composition according to claim 1 which contains sucrose octa-acetate as an animal deterrent compound.
 5. A composition according to claim 1 in which the aluminum compound is finely divided form having a particle size of less than 75 microns.
 6. A composition according to claim 5 in which the aluminum compound has a particle size of less than 50 microns.
 7. A composition according to claim 1 in which the aluminum compound forms at least 70 percent by weight of the animal deterrent component.
 8. A composition according to claim 7 in which the aluminum compound forms at least 90 percent by weight of the animal deterrent component.
 9. A composition according to claim 7 in which the other animal deterrent compound or compounds are each present in an amount of up to 2.5 percent by weight based on the weight of the animal deterrent component.
 10. A composition according to claim 1 in the form of a powder and containing one or more inert carriers and/or diluents.
 11. A composition according to claim 10 containing a wetting agent.
 12. A composition according to claim 1 in the form of a paste containing a binding agent, said binding agent being selected from the group consisting of paint lacquer, varnish, and emulsions or solutions of a synthetic organic polymer, said polymer being selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, and polyvinyl alcohol.
 13. A composition according to claim 1 in the form of a pressurized composition comprising the active ingredients suspended in one or more liquified gaseous propellants.
 14. A method of inhibiting animal attacks at a locus which comprises applying to the locus an animal deterrent amount of a composition defined in claim
 1. 